Mad Dogs and Firecrackers
 
RUN No 123
  The run on May 23rd coincided with Empire Day, that most British of occasions celebrated on the birthdate of Queen Victoria .
  Not surprisingly, none of the Brits present except yours truly were aware of the significance of the date. Surprisingly, some of the Colonials present were aware of it, as they should be, although Canadian Ballbanger only remembers it in his youth as firecracker day and in any case who gives a toss whose birthday it is as long as your having fun.
  For you information some useless facts about Empire day are as follows;
  Bono of U2 is a Knight of the British Empire as is Bill Gates and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giulliani.
  There still exists a British Empire Leprosy Relief Association.
 The Quote "The sun never sets on the British Empire is because God dosen't trust the British in the dark" is attributed to:
Anon.
  The start of the run, set by Long Ron and Space Cowboy, was at a site along a severely potholed road off the Hua Hin Bypass some 2 Km from the Bypass junction with Petchasem Road North of Cha Am.Several crossings of the full fast flowing irrigation ditches had to be negotiated by the hashers, Long Ron hoping to catch out those of a nervous disposition or suffering from vertigo. No luck this time although several of the more nubile members willingly dipped into the cool waters after the run.
  On and on went the shredded paper marked trail for some 8km for the runners and half that distance for the walkers. Through banana groves, pineapple fields, stampeding herds of local bovine and swamp like vegetation until civilisation was reached in the form of a dozen or so dogs stirred into a frenzy by One For, Butt Out and 69 Forever
  Last on the dog scene was Slackbladder to face the now raging pack without that well known doghandler Mudman to assist.
Although it was by now well after mid day and the sun was low in the sky, we had the ledgendary mad dogs and Englishman face to face. Armed only with a toothless grimace and stiff upper lip, Slackbladder made it through the pack back to base to the amusement of those who had gone before. The rest of the twenty plus hashers were by then well down into the beer cooler after a splash in the nearby ditch.
  Slackbladder called the circle, where the rendering of Rule Brittania was downed out by Waltzing Matilda. Several hashers were down downed including space cowboy returning to the US for a brief spell overseeing his scrap metal business. At the end of the circle the long awaited firecrackers burst into life reminding Ballbanger of his misspent youth. Perhaps the mad dogs had some inkling that it was firecracker day.
  Later in the evening at the Ah Roi retaurant in Cha Am, the home of walls adorned with reproduction Grandmother clocks, the hashers enjoyed fine although somewhat tardily produced fare. This put to rest previous comments in some circles that hash On On food is no better than SHONET.
  Scotch Tape {Understudy Again}.
 

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